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Video games have come a long way in a short space of time. As technology has developed the archaic Space Invaders has been replaced by games which place realism and immersion at the heart of the gameplay. Racing games are no exception.

McLaren’s World’s Fastest Gamer contest has offered gamers a unique opportunity to prove that their virtual skills can be utilised by a professional race team at the pinnacle of motorsport. The winner, Rudy van Buren, a former Dutch karting champion, can become a pioneer as motorsport has suddenly become more accessible.

Despite 2018’s front running seats being locked down by their incumbents, it appears that a midfield shuffle is about to be triggered by Carlos Sainz Jr. Bizarrely, it would seem that power unit politics is the factor that is set to fuel a move for Sainz from Toro Rosso to Renault for 2018.

It is a switch which makes perfect sense, as it benefits all five parties that are either directly or indirectly involved; Red Bull, Renault, Toro Rosso, the beleaguered McLaren and – most poignantly – Sainz himself.

Given that the summer break has starved Formula 1 fans of concrete news stories over the past few weeks, silly season speculation has been rife. While much of the discussion can be filed under far-fetched fan fiction, the rumours surrounding Fernando Alonso seem somewhat substantiated.

In reality, speculation regarding Alonso’s future has been a news feature ever since the disappointing McLaren Honda MCL-32 rolled out of the garage – and was swiftly rolled back into the garage – on the opening day of 2017 pre-season testing.

It is entirely possible that Alonso is now considering the very real prospect of a tilt at IndyCar in 2018.

At present, Honda doesn’t necessarily have the most marketable product in Formula 1. Their current partners McLaren are continually pinning their lack of performance – and quite rightly so – on the Honda power unit’s deficiencies and the Japanese manufacturer has a history of overstating the value of engine upgrades.

Regardless, certain teams are willing to consider Honda power as an option for 2018 and beyond. Sauber had even signed a deal with Honda prior to the appointment of Frederic Vasseur as the team principal, who had other ideas and subsequently terminated the deal. Now, it would seem that Toro Rosso is considering Honda power for 2018.

A common trait of seemingly all motorsport fans is a desire to reminisce. It’s hardly surprising when you consider how richly diverse and intriguing history is in almost all categories.

After all, football has always been about two goals and one ball, but in motorsport, the goalposts have always been moving as technologies have come and gone and driver and team mentalities and priorities have evolved.

For those who love a trip down memory lane, 28th May is going to be a great occasion. Not only will Fernando Alonso become the first active F1 driver to compete in the Indy 500 this century, but he will once again go toe-to-toe with his old adversary Juan-Pablo Montoya.

The F1 circus reconvened in Barcelona today, as 2017 testing fired back into life. The first week of pre-season testing offered a few clues with regards to the pecking order, yet this week promises to reveal far more as teams begin to show their hands by testing the true performance of their package.

Today was a tale of winners a losers. Ferrari, Williams and Red Bull all enjoyed excellent outings, while McLaren and Honda’s relationship has taken another sour turn, with the partnership now under “maximum” strain.

It’s crazy to think that today’s chequered flag marks a quarter distance in 2017’s winter test programme. Melbourne seems an age away to fans but not for teams anxious to reach the bottom of their tick lists prior to making the trip down-under.

For McLaren’s sake, I hope their to-do-list is decidedly short, as limited running today as a result of yet more power unit woes has once again considerably hampered their progress. Honda left with egg on their face and embarrassing parallels to 2015 are already being drawn.

(c) Kyran Gibbons. All Rights Reserved. KGibbsF1 is not affiliated with Formula 1, Formula One Management, Formula One Administration, Formula One Licensing BV or any other subsidiary associated with the official Formula One governing organizations or their shareholders. Official Formula One information can be found at www.formula1.com.